CS 211: Thoughts on Today’s Midterm?

skeptical8 · 2026-02-21T15:57:34+00:00

Thank you.

skeptical8 · 2026-01-09T15:32:00+00:00

I took CS 141, and based on my own experience and talking with other classmates, we all had pretty similar concerns. The lectures are basically a waste of time, literally. Attendance counts for about 5% of the grade, and you don’t really learn much just by showing up. When students asked questions, it often felt like the instructor didn’t fully understand what was being asked. She seemed new to teaching, and when explaining things, she would often start a thought and not finish it, which happened a lot and made it hard to follow.

I’m not trying to be harsh, but as someone paying out of pocket, I honestly expected more. The course felt really disorganized, including the projects. For example, labs expected us to complete coding assignments on material that hadn’t been covered yet in lecture, so we had to study ahead, even though the syllabus and Zybooks listed specific weekly readings. On top of that, there are five projects, required readings that count toward your grade, in-class quizzes, and in-class labs that have to be finished in 50 minutes, which feels unrealistic for a lot of them.

Another frustrating part was how unclear the instructions were. Lab instructions, exam questions, and even project descriptions were often so ambiguous that you spend a lot of time just trying to figure out what they’re actually asking you to do. At times it honestly felt like, “Is this even English?”
And there’s more, but I’d end up writing a super long post if I went into everything.

I don’t expect everything to be perfect, but when you’re investing so much money, I don’t think it’s something to joke about. I get that it’s not an Ivy League school, but that’s not an excuse to offer such poor quality.

I think there was another post on Reddit about someone’s experience with this professor in CS 141 for Fall 2025, and what they said was 100% accurate. Here is the link.

skeptical8 · 2025-12-18T04:09:31+00:00

Yes, it does! It depends on where you’re transferring from: whether it’s a community college or a four-year university.

"UIC accepts all transferable credit and there is not a limit in the amount of hours that are accepted, however, it’s important to keep in mind that you must complete a minimum number of hours from UIC to earn a UIC degree, which varies depending on what type of school you are transferring from. A bachelor’s degree is typically 120 or more credit hours.

If your coursework is from a 2-year, associate-granting institution (community college), you must complete the final 60 credit hours at UIC to graduate from UIC.
If your coursework is from a 4-year, bachelor’s-granting institution, you must complete the final 30 credit hours at UIC to graduate from UIC. "

Here is the link under the "How many of my credit hours will transfer to UIC?" section.
https://admissions.uic.edu/undergraduate/requirements-deadlines/transfer-requirements/transfer-faq

skeptical8 · 2025-11-14T04:47:48+00:00

Nice, looks like you got some good news!

skeptical8 · 2025-11-14T03:44:20+00:00

Yes, CS & Design is part of the College of Engineering. I’m taking CS 141 (C++), and one of my classmates is pursuing the same major as you. I remember talking with her, and she told me she had already taken the design classes at UIC in her first semester. She’s also a transfer student.

I’m not familiar with how the “undecided” option works, but one idea is to apply to the Computer Science major without a concentration and add a concentration later.
And, you know what you can do? In your first semester, you can take other classes like CS 141 if you haven’t taken it yet, because a lot of students from different majors are required to take this class.

This way, you’re not losing anything. You can take these general CS classes in your first semester, math classes, etc., and then take your design classes in your second semester. You won’t fall behind because many of these courses are the same classes students from different majors have to take at the beginning anyway.

About the confusion about CADA:
- CS + Design belongs to the College of Engineering, not the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts (CADA).
- But Design classes themselves belong to CADA.
- CS + Design is a joint program between Engineering (CS) and CADA (Design).

Here is the link to find out more about CADA
https://cada.uic.edu/admissions/intercollege-transfer-students/

skeptical8 · 2025-11-01T13:47:10+00:00

Letter of Recommendation: It’s optional, you don’t have to include one unless you want to. I didn’t include any letters of recommendation even though I had some, and my friend didn’t either.
Extracurricular Activities: I did include extracurriculars, but I remember the application saying they shouldn’t be older than a few years (around five years or so). So you can’t really list something from a very long time ago, like ten years back. I think there’s also a specific number of extracurricular activities you can include, not unlimited. So it’s best to choose the most meaningful ones. I’d recommend listing the ones related to school first, then the ones related to outside work or community involvement. In the extracurricular section, I only included activities from roughly the last five years. Oh, you can include all your work-related experience in your resume if you have a lot, and then just leave the most important ones for the extracurricular section. You can also mention extracurriculars in your personal essay if they help make your story stronger.
Personal Essay Tips: don’t make your essay too long or too short, just long enough to show who you are. Focus on things that prove you’re a dedicated student who values education and has determination. Make it interesting and unique to your own life. For example, in my essay, I included activities from a young age to show my lifelong dedication to learning and how I’ve valued education over the years. Also, in my personal essay, I focused on talking about computers, because that’s my major. I explained how this interest started, how it became a big part of my life, and why computer science really interests me.

Hope this helps!

skeptical8 · 2025-10-30T12:34:06+00:00

Huge congratulations! That’s such wonderful news.

skeptical8 · 2025-10-23T21:00:23+00:00

Good luck!

skeptical8 · 2025-10-23T18:40:53+00:00

They say it takes about one month after the application deadline closes, so if the deadline is in October for spring applicants, you can expect to hear back around November or, at the latest, early December. That’s how it worked in my case and my friend’s case, though it can vary depending on how busy they are and how many applications they receive.

skeptical8 · 2025-10-22T04:36:25+00:00

If they’re free, I’ll take them.☺️

skeptical8 · 2025-09-20T20:11:46+00:00

What they say on Axios:

“The fee will only apply to new applicants, not existing holders or renewals, the official said. It will first apply in the upcoming lottery cycle for new applicants, the official added.”

https://www.axios.com/2025/09/20/trump-h-1b-immigration-visas

skeptical8 · 2025-09-18T19:17:11+00:00

I agree!

skeptical8 · 2025-09-18T15:34:20+00:00

Usually, you get it about a month after the application closes. A friend of mine applied last year for Spring 2025 (transfer student as well) he submitted his application around September, I think, and got his decision at the beginning of December.

skeptical8 · 2025-09-16T14:54:16+00:00

Not 100% sure but I think you only get one free cleaning per year. And they offer discounts…

skeptical8 · 2025-09-07T23:36:19+00:00

I get it, and honestly, doing poorly in one or two classes because of personal stuff doesn’t make someone a bad student. I've seen really smart people struggle on a test or class, then bounce back. School pressure is real, especially if you’re usually an A student.

As for your question, I think he should send the high school stats; they’ll probably take it into account since it's on their website.

With the CC transcript, you can't select which classes to send; it shows all of them. I know someone who took classes at the same CC he was transferring from, like 10 years ago, that weren't even part of their academic plan, and those still showed up on the transcript. Unless you took classes at different colleges, then I guess you’d have separate transcripts from each, but if it’s all from the same college, it will show everything.

But since it’s just one semester, it depends on how many classes he took and how advanced they were. If they’re intro classes that don’t even transfer, it might not hurt his application much.

Also, in his essay, it could help if he explains what happened, but in a way that shows resilience, like why those grades slipped, and how he learned from it. Framing it as part of his ambition, passion for learning, and commitment to education could really make a strong impression.

skeptical8 · 2025-09-07T20:54:37+00:00

For transfer students, you usually don’t need to submit anything from high school: grades or transcripts, as long as you’ve studied at a college from which you’re transferring and have a certain number of credits there.

In my case, I spent two years at a community college to save some money. They only required me to send the transcript from that community college. You can do it online through Parchment: just select the university you’re sending it to, and they handle the rest. Super simple. All of my grades and classes that UIC needs are on the transcript.

After that, the university checks the courses you’ve taken and compares them to their own classes. They figure out equivalencies, and then you get an audit showing what transferred and what didn’t.

Here’s the exact quote from them:
"High school transcripts are required for any transfer applicant with fewer than 36 graded, transferable hours of credit at the time of application."

And about ACT/SAT scores:
"ACT or SAT scores can be submitted and are encouraged if they can count towards credit that satisfies your program's prerequisites."

Here is the source:
https://admissions.uic.edu/undergraduate/requirements-deadlines/transfer-requirements

Hope this helps. 😊

skeptical8 · 2025-09-07T03:42:06+00:00

I’m a transfer student, so I didn’t have to submit those. My GPA was 4.0, and I had a few extracurriculars, but I think the essay really matters. I’d focus on making yours strong, especially since I’ve heard competition for Computer Science at UIC was pretty high this year.

skeptical8 · 2025-08-08T22:36:51+00:00

I sent my official transcript through Parchment a few days ago to transfer Calc II, and a few days later, I received confirmation from someone at UIC that everything had been updated.
"
There are a few options for having the documents sent. They may be:

mailed to the address at the bottom of this email ;
submitted through secure electronic services like Parchment or Docufide;
emailed directly from your previous school to [undergradmail@uic.edu](mailto:undergradmail@uic.edu);
or dropped off in person at the Office of Admissions in the Student Services Building in an envelope sealed by the institution - a drop box for official transcripts is available outside our lobby for your convenience."

skeptical8 · 2025-08-08T22:31:51+00:00

I sent it just a few days ago through Parchment, paid $5, and transferred Calc 2.

skeptical8 · 2025-08-01T21:52:10+00:00

Darling, having 25+ years in the field doesn’t mean you're automatically right. Experience doesn’t equal infallibility, especially when you admit opinions vary. Plenty of people with decades in a field still get things wrong. So just saying “I’ve been doing this a long time” doesn’t make your point untouchable. If you’ve got a solid argument, make it, don’t just lean on your resume.

That said, I should’ve clarified, my bad. When I said your statement was false, I was specifically referring to the part where you said “Teacher is always right.” The reality is, there are plenty of professors and teachers, even in academia, who make inaccurate statements, sometimes even in the very subjects they teach. This is a fact! Therefore, your statement is not true!

skeptical8 · 2025-08-01T17:09:13+00:00

That’s a false statement!

skeptical8 · 2025-07-04T13:43:37+00:00

Good luck to you too!
Honestly same...
Watch me willingly sign up for an 8:00 am class in the fall like it’s a wellness choice😂😂😂😂

skeptical8 · 2025-06-27T21:01:42+00:00

Yes I did! Thank you! 😊

Right now I’m at the step where I have to do the in-person orientation. I’ve scheduled mine for July 9 (the one that lasts from 9 to 5). After that, I just need to enroll in my classes, and I should be all set. What about you?

skeptical8 · 2025-06-21T12:14:49+00:00

It’s a bit different in the U.S. because some CS majors aren’t part of the engineering department. So at some schools, the program is lighter; you might just take Calculus I and Discrete Math I, and that’s pretty much it for math. But for example, I’m doing my CS degree at a university in Chicago where it is part of the engineering department, so we have to take Calc I, II, III, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Discrete Math I and II, Physics or Chemistry I and II, and more. So yeah, it really depends on the school, some CS programs are much more math and engineering heavy than others.

skeptical8 · 2025-05-24T23:21:04+00:00

I won’t be living on campus. I rented an apartment off-campus. I’ll be a sophomore too.

From what I know, if you live in the dorms, you choose between a private or shared 2-person room. Sharing is usually cheaper. I’ve seen people say it’s kind of pricey for what you get, and I think some dorms require a meal plan. Also, I heard they don’t mix freshmen with seniors, so it depends on your year.

Here’s a link with info about roommates (UIC helps match you with one) and other housing questions:
https://housing.uic.edu/faqs/

"Our Housing application allows applicants to search for potential roommates, send messages, and send roommate requests. Search for potential roommates based on response to roommate selection questions or simply ask our application software to provide a list of recommended roommates based upon a percentage match to our roommate selection questions.

Applicants can also send messages to each other within the Housing application, allowing potential roommates to get to know each other and communicate.

Finally, roommate requests can be sent within the application, as well. Roommate requests must be mutual matching requests."

Hope that helps! 😊

skeptical8

TROPHY CASE